A Look Inside The 12th Man

After producing the Hot Seat for season 1, I decided I would go a different route this season and move towards more of a league summary where I highlight teams/players that are hot/cold as well as major storylines brewing throughout the league. With that said, i bring to you the first edition of "A Look Inside The 12th Man"...

SURPRISES

The Browns currently sit atop the AFC North with a 4-1 record. Clearly this is not your usual Browns and has plenty of new faces leading the resurgence including Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Rashon Williams. Looking at their overall stats will not wow you and the defense doesn't create many turnovers but this team is simply getting it done and looks to be around for the long haul.

After a season to forget in season 1, the Bears have reloaded and are off to a 4-2 start. Backed by one of the leagues best offenses with Matt Forte leading the charge the Bears do not appear to be missing stud WR Brandon Marshall. The defense will have to improve if the Bears want to catch the undefeated Super Bowl Champion Packers but they are definitely not the same team from season 1.

While the Saints being 4-1 shouldn't shock anybody, the fact that they are 4-1 WITHOUT franchise QB Drew Brees is the surprise. After Brees decided to pack up his locker and retire after being disrespected in season 2, the Saints organization did not panic as 2nd year QB Daniel Zagzebski is spearheading the 6th highest scoring offense in the league while sporting a QB rating of 101.9 and looks to be just the guy needed to replace Brees.

After winning the AFC West in season 1, the Chiefs currently sit behind the Broncos and their hated rival Oakland Raiders who already have beaten them twice and sit atop the AFC West. After playing a ball control offense and relying on their defense rode them to success in season 1 it appears the rest of the division has either caught up or Matt Cassel has realized he's Matt Cassel. I'll go with the latter and say the Chiefs will be in the market for a franchise QB this offseason.

The Eagles won the NFC East in season 1 and now find themselves in 3rd behind the Redskins and Giants. Tough to put a finger on what the issue may be with this team as new QB Tannehill is having a great start to the season and is leading a great offense. The defense has plenty of talent but is currently avg close to giving up 30 points a game and that won't get it done no matter how good your offense is. This team got hot at the end of season 1 and rode that to the NFC East crown and with only being 1.5 games behind the Redksins, this team is certainly capable of repeating that feat.

Players off to a fast start

1) QB Phillip Rivers - Rivers currently leads the league in passing yards with 1,928 yards and 15 touchdowns while posting an impressive 120.7 QB rating for best in the league.

2) MLB Patrick Willis - What else is there to say about this guy other than i wish he was on my team? Willis leads the league in tackles with 38 including 11 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 3 interceptions. Early favorite for DPOY.
3) DE Mario Williams - I bet the Texans wish they had this guy back. Williams leads the league with 14 sacks and is one of the main reasons for the Bills success.

4) RB Darren McFadden - Leading the league with 855 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, McFadden is poised to league the Raiders to their first AFC West title.

Players who are slumping
1) QB Andy Dalton - Dalton leads the league with 18 interceptions while completing only 48% of his passes. Looking at Tannehill's success in Philly, one has to wonder how the Dolphins front office feels about making Dalton their franchise QB.

2) QB Christian Ponder - Scouts wondered WTF the Vikings were doing when they initially drafted Ponder out of Florida St. and Ponder is not helping the cause. with a mere 54.5 QB Rating and 13 interceptions, it's not a matter of if Ponder is out as the starting of QB in Minnesota but when.

3) RB Ahmad Bradshaw - Bradshaw currently has 131 yards and a paltry average of 2.9 yards per carry while also fumbling twice. His time in NY may be limited.

Well folks, there you have it. Our first look inside the 12th Man. Hope you enjoy and look out for next week's edition!